The Empress fixed her gaze on Princess Ping, no longer pretending to be submissive.
“It seems Princess Ping’s hearing isn’t quite right. She didn’t hear that Young Prince Ming testified that Prince Ping was the first to intend to kill the Princess, only to be outmatched…”
“Your Majesty’s rebuke is just. My Prince had deep brotherly affection. Knowing he was outmatched, he still went to his death. Prince~ why are you so foolish? Why did you have to leave us like this, leaving us behind? What will we do from now on…”
Thinking that the path to the throne had been severed, Princess Ping knelt and wept again. Losing the opportunity to ascend to the throne like this, her cries now held genuine emotion, a mix of confusion and fear for the future!
As she cried, the ladies of Prince Ping’s mansion joined in, and the trial was once again interrupted, the atmosphere becoming tense.
“Get up quickly!” Seeing Princess Ping’s heart-wrenching sobs, Princess Qing tried to help her up.
Princess Qing, being older, struggled to help her up. She looked up at the person seated at the head of the table. “Your Majesty, Prince Ping intended to kill her, but it was to avenge his brother. Is it not natural for a killer to pay with their life? Does Your Majesty disregard the truth of the facts to protect your goddaughter?”
Before the Empress could speak, Su Muqing suddenly looked at them and asked, “Does Princess Ping mean that whoever killed Prince Qing should pay with their life?”
Princess Ping, filled with hatred, shouted back, “Yes! Whoever the killer is, they deserve to die! No reason or excuse!”
Su Muqing waited for this very statement. “Good! Then let the coroner examine the body! See if Prince Qing’s heart meridian has a steel needle like this one.”
Princess Ping felt as if she had fallen into a trap. Her eyes darted around, and she immediately changed her tune. “Even if there is a steel needle, what does it prove? There were so many people present at the time. Can you guarantee it wasn’t someone else’s?”
Prince Kebi, annoyed by the constant obstruction of the trial, exclaimed, “I can! I have sent people to search everyone. Besides Prince Ping, no one else has this item.”
Princess Qing released Princess Ping’s hand and stood up, looking at Kebi. ‘Does His Highness the Regent speak the truth?’
Kebi raised three fingers together, making a gesture of an oath. ‘I swear to heaven that everything I say is true. If I lie, may I be struck by lightning! I have only known Su Muqing for a little over ten days. She is not my goddaughter, so I have no reason to lie or cover for her!’
Seeing Kebi make such a solemn oath, Princess Qing’s expression became conflicted. Could it be true?
Princess Ping, seeing Princess Qing’s gaze change, felt a pang in her heart. “Sister-in-law, you mustn’t listen to their nonsense! My Prince and his brother have always been close. Why would my Prince kill his own brother?”
“Why? Do you not know? By killing Prince Qing, your Prince Ping’s mansion would have one less contender for the throne.”
As soon as Su Muqing finished speaking, everyone looked at her with fearful eyes. Princess Ping pointed at her with trembling fingers.
“You insolent…”
Before she could finish, Su Muqing roared back, “You are the one being insolent! Shut your damn mouth and listen!”
Princess Ping was stunned by her outburst. Her mouth hung slightly open, and her body trembled. She couldn’t say a word.
‘From the first time we met in the palace until my enfeoffment ceremony, your family has disliked me. At my coming-of-age ceremony, you sent a painting of a pheasant turning into a phoenix to mock me. I haven’t wronged you, have I?’
Princess Ping trembled and shouted, her voice noticeably weaker than before. “Nonsense…”
‘Now, Kebi Ping, in order to frame me and burden me with the charge of murder, has gone so far as to kill his own brother. Once this matter is confirmed, I will surely be beheaded in exchange for my life. If I’m lucky enough not to die, at least I’ll be stripped of my status and expelled from the Tianzhao Kingdom, isn’t that right?’ Su Muqing’s emotions surged as she spoke, and she felt an urge to lash out.
“You! You are slandering me… you’ve gone mad…”
Princess Ping was stunned! Did Su Muqing even know what she was saying? To speak of competing for the throne in front of the Emperor and all the civil and military officials… it was utter madness!
‘From now on, anyone who dares to speak out and disrupt the trial, or hinder me from proving my innocence, shall not blame me for being impolite!’ Su Muqing said, looking around. As her voice fell, she raised her hand and waved, shattering another stone stool.
This silenced not only Princess Ping but also everyone else.
After a moment of silence, the Emperor spoke appropriately. “Ahem… very well! Summon the coroner!”
As the Emperor spoke, Wang Defu stepped forward and announced loudly, “Summon the coroner~”
Moments later, a short man, carrying a darkened wooden box, stepped forward, knelt, and kowtowed.
Seeing him kowtow and greet them, the Emperor excused him from the usual pleasantries. “Rise. Put aside these formalities for now. Go and examine the body over there first.”
“This humble subject obeys!”
The man carried the box to the body. He put on a pair of white cloth gloves and felt the body, finding it soft and elastic, indicating that it had not been dead for long and had not yet stiffened.
Next, he examined the corpse’s face. He noticed that blood was flowing from all seven orifices, but the face did not show the blackish-green hue indicative of poisoning. To be safe, he took out a leather-wrapped package from his box.
Opening it, he revealed silver needles of various lengths and thicknesses. The man took out one needle and forcefully inserted it into the esophagus below King Qing’s throat…
The man pulled out the needle, and a terrifying thing happened. King Qing, who had long been lifeless, let out a “crack” from his throat the moment the needle was removed, and his eyes fluttered open!
This turn of events was too sudden. The man’s eyes widened, and his hand holding the needle began to tremble.
“He’s come back to life! He, he, he…” The man threw down what he was holding and ran backward without looking back.
He’s come back to life? Could it be that King Qing was not dead? Su Muqing’s eyes lit up. Or perhaps her medicine was working?
“He’s not dead yet! King Qing is not dead!” Su Muqing shouted excitedly towards the Emperor, then moved Kebi Ping’s corpse aside.
The Emperor and Kebi exchanged a look, then quickly got up and walked over. Princess Qing also hurried over, supported by the heir of Prince Qing’s mansion. In an instant, the area where the body had been placed was surrounded by people.
Su Muqing observed that the detector showed King Qing was having great difficulty breathing. She quickly evacuated everyone else, leaving only the Emperor, the Regent, and Princess Qing, who was weeping profusely.
The Emperor and the others saw King Qing’s mouth slightly open, his breathing rapid, and only his eyeballs seemed to be able to move.
“Father, quickly turn King Qing over. I need to force the steel needle out of him.” As the closest people were the Emperor and the Regent, Su Muqing called out to them to help King Qing turn over onto the wooden board.
She spaced her fingers slightly apart, placed them on the red spot on King Qing’s back, then gathered her internal energy into her fingers and lifted forcefully.
Just as her fingers left King Qing’s back, a steel needle, glinting silver and stained with blood, flew out of his body, caught precisely between her two fingers.
With the successful extraction of the steel needle, King Qing felt his breathing become much smoother. Su Muqing then gave him a healing pill and a qi and blood replenishment pill.
With the help of the detector, Su Muqing dripped spiritual spring water onto his injured heart meridian. With the other finger, she made it tremble, and wisps of green healing magic entered King Qing’s heart meridian, beginning to repair the damage.
All three were stunned by this miraculous sight, their gazes flickering between Su Muqing and King Qing. Did she truly possess some form of magical power?
The heart meridian was dense and fine, making repair extremely difficult. Su Muqing used so much healing magic that her face turned pale, her lips turned blue, and her forehead was covered in cold sweat.
Just as she was about to collapse, the heart meridian was finally completely repaired, and King Qing let out a few comfortable breaths. Seeing that he was out of danger, Su Muqing sank to the ground, utterly exhausted…
“Muqing!”
“Qing’er…”
Lu Yuzhi rushed forward and picked her up, placing her on a chair. Su Muqing waved to the Emperor and the Regent. “Father, don’t worry, I’m alright. I’m just too tired from the exertion and need to rest for a while.”
Kebi held King Qing, who was half-supported, leaning against him. “Brother, how do you feel now?”
“Much better! Only my left shoulder still aches. I injured it when I fought with that girl Ning’an. It seems I am truly old to be defeated by her in just one move. I never expected this girl, at such a young age, to have such remarkable martial arts cultivation.” As King Qing spoke, he rubbed his slightly sore left shoulder.
Princess Qing tightly grasped King Qing’s left hand. “Your Highness! Your face was covered in blood, and you weren’t even breathing. You truly frightened this consort to death. I was planning to accompany you in death after discovering the cause of your demise, but who knew you would… I am truly overjoyed!”
“Yes! This time it is truly thanks to our ancestors’ blessings.” Recalling the suffocating feeling of not being able to breathe earlier, King Qing also felt a lingering fear.
“It’s not just ancestral blessings. Your resurrection this time is also thanks to Princess Ning’an. She was the one who forced the steel needle out of you, and it was her medicine and magic that brought you back to life and restored you!” Princess Qing was now immensely grateful to Su Muqing.
Such a capable and talented young woman, possessing magical powers, how could she be a demoness? In her eyes, Su Muqing was more like a goddess of the Tianzhao Kingdom.
After Princess Qing finished speaking, Kebi continued to ask, “Brother, you just said you only fought with Su girl for one move. Then why were all your heart meridians severed?”
King Qing’s joy of surviving the ordeal vanished completely with this question. He asked with a somewhat cold expression, “Where is Kebi Ping?”
Seeing his apparent ignorance, Princess Qing asked hesitantly, “What do you need him for?”
King Qing thought of something and let out a cold, sinister snort. “Hmph! I want to ask this good brother why he ambushed me from behind. If it weren’t for Princess Ning’an’s intervention this time, I would truly be dead!”
Princess Qing covered her mouth fearfully. “Are you saying that Prince Ping truly… truly attacked you?”
“Indeed! It was him. At that time, Ming’er was on my right, so it was impossible for the needle to be inserted into my heart meridian from that position. And he, Kebi Ping, was behind me. Furthermore, just before the steel needle was inserted, I vaguely heard him say, ‘I’m sorry, big brother…’ If it wasn’t him, then who else could it be?”
Seeing their silence, King Qing assumed they didn’t believe him. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He ripped off the white cloth covering him.
“Where is that old fellow now? I must break his legs personally!”
“Follow me!” After a long silence, the Emperor spoke and then walked ahead.
King Qing, full of questions, followed the Emperor and the Regent. Seeing the assembled court officials, he became even more bewildered. Why were they all gathered here?
Everyone else was also speechless at seeing King Qing alive and well.
Princess Ping’s eyes widened. Looking at the resurrected man before her, she felt immense resentment. Why could he be saved even with blood flowing from all seven orifices!
“Your Highness! You’re really not dead! That’s wonderful!”
“Your Highness… *sob sob*…”
The guards of Prince Qing’s mansion were overjoyed to see their master alive again. Only the guard whose mouth had been broken by Lu Yuzhi averted his gaze, not daring to look directly at him.
The Emperor sat on his chair and said calmly, “Prince Qing, repeat what you just said to everyone.”
To repeat it in front of these people? Murdering one’s brother was a grave offense. Once made public, wouldn’t Kebi Ping be ruined?
Despite everything, they were brothers. Even if bones were broken, the connection remained. No matter how angry Kebi Qing was, his intention was only to discipline him, never to kill him.
“This… Your Majesty, say it in front of them? Then…”
“He treated you like that, and you still want to conceal it for him?”
“But…”
The Emperor’s patience finally ran out. He swept the teacup to the ground, then stood up abruptly. “Your heart meridian was sealed, so you didn’t know what happened afterward. Kebi Ping used your death to falsely accuse Princess Ning’an of being a demoness and repeatedly tried to take her life in revenge for you. Look at the blood staining her clothes. Do you still want to conceal it for him?”
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger…”
“Your Majesty, please don’t get angry!”
King Qing glanced at Su Muqing, who was pale and with her eyes closed, and frowned. He then lifted his robe and knelt on the ground. “Please, Your Majesty, calm your anger and take care of your health! Your subject knows what to do!”
King Qing kowtowed, then stood up and looked at the surrounding people. “This subject hereby clarifies that when I fought with Princess Ning’an earlier, she did not attack me with all her might. As for my feigned death, it has nothing to do with her…”
“The one who almost killed this subject… is Kebi Ping… He stabbed a steel needle into my heart meridian…”